


Enduring Joy of Family

by faintingviolet



Series: Buddiemas 2020 Prompts [2]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: 12 Days of Buddiemas (9-1-1 TV), Athena Grant and Bobby Nash are Evan "Buck" Buckley's Parents, Christmas Eve, Established Relationship, F/M, Family, Family Fluff, Holiday Dinner, Isabel Diaz Plans a Surprise, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:55:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28083543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/faintingviolet/pseuds/faintingviolet
Summary: The first year after Buck and Eddie were married Abuela had formulated a plan, she was going to host everyone for Christmas. She had come close in years past, but Isabel Diaz wanted to mark this happy time by having everyone be together.(December 11 - Family)
Relationships: Athena Grant/Bobby Nash, Eddie Diaz & Isabel Diaz, Evan "Buck" Buckley & Isabel Diaz, Evan "Buck" Buckley/ Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Maddie Buckley/Howie "Chimney" Han
Series: Buddiemas 2020 Prompts [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2057301
Comments: 4
Kudos: 119
Collections: Buddiemas 2020





	Enduring Joy of Family

Buckley family Christmases had been quiet, formal.

Diaz family Christmases were loud, informal, and for everyone.

The first year after Buck and Eddie were married Abuela had formulated a plan, she was going to host _everyone_ for Christmas. She had come close in years past, but Isabel Diaz wanted to mark this happy time by having everyone be together. 

It began early in the year with her granddaughters, when she spoke to Adriana and Sophia she started slowly hinting that they come to California for Christmas that year. She worked to make sure that each thought it had been their ideas, she knew they would enjoy themselves more that way. She happily watched the emails come in with their flight information. Pepa was placed in charge of getting the rest of the local Diazes corralled. She was also in charge of getting Eddie’s parents there, Isabel had other people she wanted to attend to personally, people she knew were going to need a bit more convincing that the Diaz Christmas was for them as well. 

Which brought her to Maddie. Isabel well knew that she and Buck didn’t spend every Christmas Day together, it was how she had gotten to spend so many with him over the years whether at her house or the firehouse, but she knew that they did their best to find a rhythm that worked for all of them and when they needed to, they would move the actual celebration around a little to make it work with Howard’s family. The past few years Buck, Eddie, and Christopher had been at Maddie and Chim’s for lunch on Christmas Day to open presents and be together, for the Buckley siblings to share the holiday with their families together. 

Isabel had no intention of disrupting what was becoming the new Buckley sibling tradition, but she wanted to make sure that her entire family, which included Buck’s family, was together in one place for at least part of the holiday. Christmas Eve became her goal, 

Isabel called Maddie in early November. She respected that Maddie and Chim would have just as much trouble as Buck and Eddie did at getting time off for the holiday and it was likely that Maddie might have to work Christmas Eve, and if that was the case she would have to go back to the drawing board. 

But the only way to find out was to ask, so after carefully questioning Buck about Maddie’s schedule she made the phone call one Wednesday afternoon. 

“Isabel, its so lovely to hear from you. How are you?”

Isabel smiled to herself, Maddie, like her brother, was warm and open and she didn’t let on if she was surprised to be hearing from Isabel out of the blue. 

“Maddie, hello. I’m very well, thank you. How about you?”

“Oh, I’m doing well but the terrible threes are reigning at our house these days. I swear I got more sleep when he was a baby.”

Isabel let a gentle laugh color her voice, “you very likely did. The good news is three doesn’t last forever.”

“That’s what I’ve been told. I’m holding onto it as one of my only sources of hope.” Isabel could hear the tired smile in Maddie’s voice. 

“You know, if you and Howard are ever in need of a babysitter, I would be happy to watch him for you. You could bring him on a night that I have Christopher, I know he’d love to spend some extra time with his cousin.” She hadn’t intended to make the offer just then, but it felt right. 

“Oh, Isabel, that’s very generous of you. I promise to think about it.”

“Good, good. It’s a serious offer, so please do. Now, the real reason I called is that I want to invite the three of you to join us for dinner on Christmas Eve. I’m getting together as many people as possible to celebrate, and our family wouldn’t be complete without you.”

Isabel waits a few seconds before there’s any answer from the other end of the line, “Isabel, are you sure? We wouldn’t want to intrude.”

“Of course I’m sure. We’re family, Maddie. I want to celebrate how our family has grown to officially include Evan and you all, and we can only do that with you there.”

“That’s… Isabel that’s lovely. Thank you.”

“Of course. Now I know that you have your work schedules to see to, and Howard’s family as well. But I’m very hopeful.”

“I should know in a week or two what the December schedule looks like, and I’m sure the Lees would understand if we needed to shift them around a little. They are very fond of Buck and Eddie as well.”

“I enjoyed talking to them at the wedding very much. If you can let me know as soon as you know then I’ll finalize details with everyone.”

“Of course.”

“Great. One more thing before I let you go – I want to invite Bobby and Athena as well, since they are so important to Evan.”

Before Isabel can finish her thought, Maddie is already answering, “Of course. The people who love Buck as a son should absolutely be at a dinner that’s all about family.”

“Then we agree. I’ll talk to you soon, Maddie. And please, do think about letting me babysit for you, I really would love to.”

Isabel ends the call with Maddie pleased with its results. Things were well on track. 

Once Maddie calls and confirms that she and Howard are both off Christmas Eve this year Isabel is only left the Grant-Nash household to add to the mix. This was the only part of the plan that worried Isabel, she had been fairly sure Maddie would want to, and she knew that she could get her Texas family to California with a little effort, and all of that was going smoothly. But these were people who would expect to be included in Buck and Eddie’s Christmas. She knew Buck’s relationship with Bobby and Athena was strong, and important, she had watched Bobby help him with his tie at the wedding, watched as Athena held his hand and smoothed the crease between his eyebrows and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek to reassure him and soothe his nerves before they took their seats in the church. These were the people who filled the role of parent for Buck, but she still wasn’t sure how _formal_ that arrangement was. Maddie’s response had given her reason to believe her understanding of the relationship was correct, but now was when she would find out for sure. 

She thought her best bet was to corner Bobby at the firehouse. Using Christopher as a cover to drop by the station to say hello, she let Christopher go off with his dads while she zeroed in on the captain in the kitchen. 

“Bobby, do you have a moment?”

“Mrs. Diaz. Of course.”

“Isabel, please.”

“Isabel. How can I help you?”

Isabel respected how polite Bobby always was with the extended families of his firefighters. She knew the care he had for his firefighters, that showed in how he treated their loved ones, was the best possible reassurance she could have that Bobby would always do his best to send Eddie and Buck home safe to her. 

“I’d like to invite you and your lovely wife to Christmas Eve dinner with us.”

Isabel knew she had caught the captain off guard, and his face confirmed just how much. She wasn’t sure she’d ever seen a pair of eyebrows climb so far up someone’s face.

“Well, I mean, Isabel that’s very generous.”

“I’m glad you think so. I’m trying to surprise Eddie and Evan with their whole families at Christmas Eve dinner together. I’ve got everyone accounted for, except for you and Athena. You are both so important to Evan, I know having you with us would make it feel like his whole family was there.”

Isabel sees a little wetness creep into Bobby’s lash line, but he quickly schools it and shoots a quick look across the loft to make sure Buck and Eddie were out of earshot.

“I’ll double check with Athena, I’m not sure what the kids schedule is, but we think of Buck as part of the family and would be honored to be there with you all.”

“Please, if you are meant to be with Harry and May bring them too. This dinner is meant for family. All of it.”

“Thank you, Isabel, for including us. Let me call Athena and I’ll try to get you an answer before you leave.”

That was how Isabel Diaz found herself at the head of a very large table full of family on Christmas Eve. The look of pure joy on Buck’s face when he realized that _his_ side of their family was also there was worth the work to make it happen, and to keep it a surprise. She loved him so much and having his entire family – Diaz, Buckley, Grant, Nash, and Han – present in her home felt the most like Christmas that Isabel had experienced in a long time, and she was thankful for the enduring joy it brought. 


End file.
